Laos

Lao People’s Democratic Republic

Introduction

A land locked country in SE Asia, the “land of a million elephants” had enjoyed a rich history up until the end of the 19th century. After the French colonized the country in 1893, it was only the beginning of a very rough 20th century for the Lao people. The French occupation was followed up by the Japanese invasion during WWII.

Independence and Civil War

In 1953, the country finally gained independence from the French only to descend into a brutal civil war. The Lao civil war was contemporaneous with the 2nd Vietnam War that ravaged all of Indochina. The civil war ended in 1975 with the defeat of the US backed Royalists. During the “civil war” The US military dropped more bombs on Laos than were dropped during all of WWII and as a result hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed. Presently, the country is now governed by one party socialist rule under the Communist Pathet Lao.

Theravada Buddhism

Lao culture has been heavily influenced by the Khmer Hindu kingdom dating back to the 5th century. More recently, Theravada Buddhism was introduced and remains a centerpiece of Lao culture to this day. Evidence of this rich history can still be observed today at the Vat Phou ruins in southern Laos. Although Laos is now a communist country Buddhism and socialist orthodoxy are able to co-exist harmoniously. The complexity of Laos makes it a premier global travel destination.

Mekong River

The Mekong River flows the entire length of Laos and forms the border with Thailand. However, the Mekong presently remains a very difficult river to navigate. Throughout history, the Mekong has been a dividing factor for countries in SE Asia due to it’s complexities. More recently, Laos and Thailand have built a series of 4 friendship bridges since 1994 that serve as border crossings between the two countries.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laos

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Introducing the Pakse Golden Buddha Pakse is the capital city of Champasak Province in southern Laos. Historically speaking, the city of Pakse has its beginnings as a French administrative outpost. Continue Reading →

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